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Issue #480 : : June 27, 2006 |
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C o n t e n t s COSMOS Works 2007 Multithreading Doesn't
Benefit CAD Below the Radar and all other regular columns.
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Write the Editor. Donate to upFront.eZine through Paypal. Access nearly-daily CAD commentary at our blog: WorldCAD Access. |
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Product Overview Nitin Jan of SolidWorks showed me some of the new features in Cosmos 2007. Emphasis on "some," because after 75 minutes, we had covered just Cosmos Works -- with Motion and FlowWorks left for another time. 'Cyclic symmetry' analyzes a single part of a repeating circular pattern -- one blade of a turbine, for instance. That can cut analysis time 10x, depending on the model. 'Sensor locations' can now be specified, such as at high-stress points identified by the FEA analysis, for comparison with real-world testing. Non-linear analysis is enhanced with pausing (Cosmos calls it "restart"), which allows the model to be changed without needing to start the analysis anew. 'Follower loads' let the load direction follow the bending of parts. And friction coefficients can be applied to parts that contact each other. Other new or improved features include mass elements (heavy objects affect analysis but are not meshed), adaptive analysis (automatically increases mesh density in assemblies), and automatic solver selection. There's more use of SolidWorks features, such as animation and dragging cutplanes to create sections. Cosmos Works 2006 can handle 30 million degrees of freedom, and is 4x faster in making selections. The software takes advantage of 3GB RAM on computers running Windows XP. (FEA software benefits from more RAM than it does from faster CPUs.) The new "pinball" is like a 3D pickbox: it's a gold-colored sphere whose diameter can be varied. In Cosmos, it selects multiple connections to treat as one. When Roopinder Tara reported on Cosmos 2007 in his 'CAD Insider' blog < cadinsider.typepad.com/my_weblog/2006/06/cosmos_simplifi.html >, a reader challenged Cosmos' claim that weldment analysis is unique (PTC apparently also has it). Mr Jan made sure to emphasize that SolidWorks is filling out the paperwork to patent weldment analysis. "Cosmos" is based on the Greek word for "ordered arrangement." The base version, Cosmos Designer, is included with SolidWorks Office Premium. Other versions of Cosmos (Professional, Advanced Professional, Motion, and FlowWorks) add more features. This new version is due to ship in September. www.cosmosm.com
Multithreading Doesn't Benefit CAD More Responses "I regret the miscommunication that led you to a wrong impression about UGS' position regarding CAD and the benefits of multiprocessing. "In fact, UGS' NX software supports multiprocessing and multi-core as stated in a press release from last hear. Here is a link to that press release along with the excerpt from the release that addresses our multiprocessing support and its benefits: www.ugs.com/about_us/press/press.shtml?id=4084 "Excerpt on multiprocessing: Designed to support multi-core
and multiprocessing capabilities for maximum performance and scalability.
Testing has demonstrated that some NX functions will run up to 50
percent faster in a multi-core environment, offering significant
benefits for many complex applications found in the automotive,
aerospace and consumer products industries."
"Multithreading is the _next_ big thing. It does carry a cost, certainly in development but also when running the code. Splitting code into multiple threads will likely cause performance degradation on a single core machine. In today's Windows environment, single threaded software also gets a boost from a dual core: the second core takes the burden of OS tasks and other applications, like anti-virus software. "When user get a second core, it's being used -- perhaps not to its full potential, but it will make a difference. That will change radically in 2007 when the quad cores enter the scene. A situation where the user is waiting on a piece of software while the system uses less than 40% of its processing power is intolerable. "According to Herb Sutter, < www.gotw.ca/publications/concurrency-ddj.htm
> Intel is talking about 100-core CPUs for the future.
A CPU-hungry piece of software that isn't multithreaded by then
will go out of business."
You may also want to read Evan Yares' comments on "Multithreading and CAD" at www.evanyares.com/the-cad-industry/2006/6/20/multithreading-and-cad.html
A summary of CAD industry news you may not have read elsewhere, or that I found interesting:
Safe Software describes how the /3GB switch works: "Traditionally, [software] running on 32-bit versions of the Microsoft Windows operating system could access a maximum of 2 gigabytes (GB) of available memory; the remaining 2GB were reserved for kernel operating processes. [A rewritten software program] takes advantage of the Windows /3GB switch that divides the available 4GB of memory into 3GB for user applications and 1GB for kernel processes. "The user installs the /3GB switch by making a simple change to their operating system's boot.ini file prior to processing large datasets. (When run on 64-bit versions of Windows, [the software] automatically has 3GB of user application addressable memory available.) The /3GB switch is only required for translations that involve extremely large datasets and will not currently run with 2GB of addressable memory." - www.safe.com/3GB
T-Splines debuts in August their T-Splines Rhino Plugin beta. T-Splines is a new NURBS-compatible surface type that allows you to add individual local control points for higher detail. www.tsplines.com ASCON Group notes that their KOMPAS-3D V8 Plus is now compatible (read and save) with eDrawings from Geometric Software Solutions. www.ascon.ru Associated General Contractors of America and National Institute of Building Sciences agree to develop AGCxml -- XML schemas for exchanging data among architects, engineers, and contractors. www.agc.org Visual Collaboration Technologies announces VCollab 2006, software for multidisciplinary 3D visualization for CAD, CAM, CAE, FEA, CFD, and others. www.vcollab.com Code Zebra releases LivingLegend 7 (US $249) for automatically creating associative BOMs, schedules, and symbol legends using automatic balloons and blocks in AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT. Trial version available at www.codezebra.com Delcam introduces a new version of its PowerINSPECT inspection software, with collision detection, enhanced Geometric Explorer, and additional best-fit options for analyzing results. www.delcam.com Extract Systems expects to ship IcoMap v.4.0 August 1. The software speeds up mapping with ArcGIS through optical character recognition and COGO shortcuts. www.extractsystems.com - - - These news items were posted during the last week at the WorldCAD Access blog < worldcadaccess.typepad.com >:
And at the Gizmos Grabowski <worldcadaccess.typepad.com/gizmos/ > Weblog:
Redo The name of the futurologist quoted in upFront.eZine #478 is Ray Hammond, not Ray Portland. www.rayhammond.com Hardware News Matrox Graphics expands the modes of its TripleHead2Go box: new dual-monitor resolution modes and higher refresh rates for CRT monitors. The box allows you to add two or three monitors to many single-monitor graphics boards. For compatibility with your system, check www.matrox.com/graphics/offhome/support/dh2go/compatibility.cfm
Seminars & Conferences CAD Manager's Forum is Sept 14 in London, England. www.eatyourcad.com/article.php?incat_id=1051 3rd annual IntelliCAD World Meeting is Oct 11-12 in Kelowna BC Canada. 18th annual Construct Canada is Nov 29–Dec 1 in Toronto ON Canada. Register on-line to receive a free pass: www.constructcanada.com People/Companies on the Move Delcam has its 15,000th CADCAM software customer at the Rostvertol Helicopter Plant, Russia. LMS International and MAGINE partner to integrate their software -- performance simulation with physics-based simulation. Synergis Software promotes Todd Cummings to vp of research and development, and Scott Lamond to vp of business development.
Brand New CAD Books/eBooks "EdgeCAM 10.0 for Manufacturers" "Tailoring AutoCAD 2007" WorthWhile Web http://www.boardsmag.com/screeningroom/commercials/2971/
Letters to the Editor Re: Free CAD For Students "I know that most of your readers are professionals, but here is something for the education arena. Graphisoft is offering ArchiCAD 10 to students for free. "For years I have begged the big CAD companies to quit putting it to the schools when it comes to CAD programs. Graphisoft has had the best and most cost effective pricing for CAD: A 50-seat lab of ArchiCAD 9 is US$198.00, student versions are $79.00-$99.00. "Dominic Gallello, Graphisoft ceo, has made a decision that
has schools in my neighborhood clamoring: ArchiCAD 10 Student Version
& Video Training Guide for free. www.graphisoft.com/community/education/downloads/
"
Re: Futurologists "I finally got around to reading the Futurologist's statement of not having a language for the future [upFront.eZine #487]. It reminded me of this article I read some time back <http://www.physics.uci.edu/~silverma/benford.html >: "'...on communicating the location of hazardous waste to
future generations when the hazard is expected to outlive the language
we use to communicate. In a way, it seems somewhat like attempting
to make road signage globally understandable. Though there are currently
living people in all cultures to test the road signage against,
there are no future people around with whom to test the hazardous
waste signage.'"
Re: Origin of Shop Drawings "I am interested in the historical questions of when/why/in
what manner did shop drawings (as opposed to the architectural and
structural drawings) become a part of typical practice in the construction
industry. If any of your readers can point to a resource, I'd appreciate
hearing from them."
Re: Looking for T-Flex Users "We need to contract out some T-Flex CAD work, but because T-Flex is not that popular in North America, we are having trouble locating companies/individuals with T-Flex skills. I am hoping you have some contacts and can steer us in the right direction." The editor responds: "I'll pass on names to this vendor, who wishes to remain anonymous."
Notable Quotable "I always feared that project would fold."
Copyright 2006 by upFront.eZine Publishing, Ltd. All rights reserved worldwide Article reprint fee US$250.00.
All trademarks belong to their respective holders. "upFront.eZine,"
"Talking About CAD," and "On your desktop every Tuesday morning"
are trademarks of upFront.eZinePublishing, Ltd. |
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